how to put music in your writing
I find it interesting that hearing a certain song triggers so many things: a plot in a book, a moment of life, a character or a real person. Music is honestly so cool.
But how can we fit it into our writing? It's not like books have a mini speaker in the page that plays when you open it.
Well, this is how I do it and why.
Find a song or a bunch of songs and put them on a repeating playlist. The songs make you feel a certain way, and you can put that into your writing. Personally, I write to a certain song on repeat. It has to fit the emotion I'm trying to convey, though. Like, if I'm writing fast-paced scene, I need some dubstep. If I'm writing a slow, sad, death scene... well, let's say I've got an entire playlist of songs that work for that.
If you're writing a story where the chapters shift points of view, I highly suggest making a playlist of songs that fit a character's theme, personality, and voice. Personally, I find that it really helps me change the voice as I write. If the character is very laid back, I listen to chill Disney songs. If a character is tense and kills people for a living, I put on a playlist of hard rock.
As well as that, I have certain playlists of songs that the character would listen to. Jace is my adorable little Brit obsessed with old rock, so I have an entire playlist of the music he'd listen to. This helps me get into the mindset of what the character does when they're not stressing about finals or getting killed.
Or maybe what they're listening to during those times... *shrug*
In a few scenes in my book, there is actually music they're listening to. When that is the case, I put on whatever song they'd be listening to. Not only does it help me get into a certain mode for writing, but it also helps me set the scene in my own head so they can react and act accordingly.
This is a really short one, and I'm sorry. But hey, I've got some posts from different characters POVs! If you want, you can go check them all out here.
Enjoy.
~Olivia Ann
But how can we fit it into our writing? It's not like books have a mini speaker in the page that plays when you open it.
Well, this is how I do it and why.
1. get the feel of the scene
Find a song or a bunch of songs and put them on a repeating playlist. The songs make you feel a certain way, and you can put that into your writing. Personally, I write to a certain song on repeat. It has to fit the emotion I'm trying to convey, though. Like, if I'm writing fast-paced scene, I need some dubstep. If I'm writing a slow, sad, death scene... well, let's say I've got an entire playlist of songs that work for that.
2. get into a character's mindset
If you're writing a story where the chapters shift points of view, I highly suggest making a playlist of songs that fit a character's theme, personality, and voice. Personally, I find that it really helps me change the voice as I write. If the character is very laid back, I listen to chill Disney songs. If a character is tense and kills people for a living, I put on a playlist of hard rock.
As well as that, I have certain playlists of songs that the character would listen to. Jace is my adorable little Brit obsessed with old rock, so I have an entire playlist of the music he'd listen to. This helps me get into the mindset of what the character does when they're not stressing about finals or getting killed.
Or maybe what they're listening to during those times... *shrug*
3. write how the characters would react
In a few scenes in my book, there is actually music they're listening to. When that is the case, I put on whatever song they'd be listening to. Not only does it help me get into a certain mode for writing, but it also helps me set the scene in my own head so they can react and act accordingly.
This is a really short one, and I'm sorry. But hey, I've got some posts from different characters POVs! If you want, you can go check them all out here.
Enjoy.
How does music help your writing? What kind of music do you like to listen to? Talk to me!
~Olivia Ann
Great tips! I especially like what you said about listening to a song on repeat cause it has the right feel. I do that loads but hadn't quite worded it the way you did yet.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post! :D
EPIC TRAILER MUSIC is honestly a lifesaver for me and my writing. It really gets me in the right mindset so that I can relate to my character's emotions.
ReplyDelete